College Football Quick Picks Week 11 – A look into some of the week’s other games.
Penn State @ Indiana – Line: Penn State (-6) O/U- 43.5 – The Nittany Lions are rolling into Indiana this weekend with their tail between their legs after a stinging 20-19 loss at home to the Maryland Terrapins that saw Penn State give up 13 points in the 4th quarter. This is even worse considering the fact that Maryland totally snubbed Penn State on the pre-coin toss handshake. Pretty rude, huh?
The Hoosiers probably have better manners, and a pretty good running attack, but Penn State just so happens to be the best team in the nation against the run. Don’t expect James Franklin’s squad to be bested by a team that lost to a terrible Michigan 34-10 last week. Pick: Penn State (-6) UNDER 43.5
Iowa @ Minnesota – Line: Minnesota (-1) O/U- 45 – Both teams have exceeded expectations in a down year for the Big Ten. Minnesota was considered a contender in the West division until an inexplicable loss to Illinois last weekend. Iowa’s low point of the season was a 20-17 loss to a terrible Iowa State team early in the season. Despite it all, both teams still have plenty to play for.
Iowa gets most of its offense through the air, and should have success against a mediocre Golden Gopher secondary. Iowa is 4-1 ATS in the last five, and should cover in this one. The Hawkeye defense will do its job in limiting a Minnesota offense that relies heavily on the running game. Pick: Iowa (+1) OVER 45
Georgia Tech @ NC State – Line: Georgia Tech (-3.5) O/U- 60.5 – This is a pretty bad matchup for NC State. The Wolfpack allow an average of 171.1 yards per game on the ground, and they are being visited by a Yellow Jackets steam that is ranked 4th nationally with 319.7 per contest.
Georgia Tech has been on a tear lately, disposing their last two opponents by a combined score of 91-38. NC State broke a four game losing streak last week against Syracuse, but there is a good chance they are about to begin another one. Look for the Yellow Jackets to run right through the Wolfpack in this one. Pick: Georgia Tech (-3.5) OVER 60.5
West Virginia @ Texas – Line: West Virginia (-3) O/U- 53 – The Mountaineers did everything they possibly could to lose against TCU last week, and were very successful. They’ll have to try even harder if they want to be beaten by a Texas team that has trouble finding the end zone, ranking 104th nationally with just 22.2 per game. The Longhorns have relied on a solid defense to keep them in games all year, and rank 34th in total defense. Unfortunately for them, the defense has as good of chance to score as their counterparts.
West Virginia won’t have as much success offensively as they’d like, but will do enough to cover the spread and keep the point total on the lower side, due to both Texas’ inept offense and their own surprisingly good defense. Bonus prediction: Mountaineers coach and aspiring bro Dana Holgorson’s use of the word “dudes” during in-game and post-game interviews: OVER 3. Pick: West Virginia (-3) UNDER 53
Hawaii @ Colorado State – Line: Colorado State (-18) O/U- 55 – The Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii may be 2-7, but they’ve been competitive in nearly all their games this year, relying on a bend-not-break defense that gives up yards but somehow limits scores from the red zone. Even so, they are likely in for a blowout against a Colorado State team that ranks 13th in passing yardage.
The Rams haven’t lost since Sept. 16th, and are likely to win out en route to a division title in the Mountain West. Hawaii will have starting running back Joey Iosefa back from a suspension, enabling them to resume their one-two punch with running back and 1st team Last Name All-American Steve Lakalaka. Because of this, Hawaii will rely on a ground attack, keeping the Rams offense off of the field as much as possible, and keeping the total low as they always manage to do. Pick: Colorado State (-18) UNDER 55.
Louisiana Tech @ UAB – Line: Louisiana Tech (-4) O/U- 56.5 – UAB has struggled with consistency all season. The Blazers were able to get back on track for the time being with a last-second win over Florida Atlantic last weekend 31-28. Louisiana Tech enters Birmingham riding a four game win streak to the top of the Conference-USA West division standings, having recovered quite nicely to a 45-17 blowout loss to Auburn on Sept. 27th.
Quarterback Cofy Sokol has lead a passing attack that ranks 38th in the country with 265.2 yards per game, and the Bulldogs will likely try to exploit a UAB defense that is giving up 225.0 yards through the air. UAB’s home field advantage won’t be enough to overcome a Louisiana Tech team that is peaking at just the right time. Pick: Louisiana Tech (-4) UNDER
Louisville @ Boston College – Line: Louisville (-3) O/U- 45 – The Cardinals are probably still kicking themselves after giving up a 21-point lead to Florida State last week. Hopefully they have a short memory, because they are catching Boston College at a bad time. The Eagles have three losses by a combined 17 points, and are continuing to pound the ball on the ground, averaging 274.9 yards per game.
Their defense has been up to the task as well, allowing only 20.1 per game. Boston College has been the underdog in most of their conference games this season, but have managed to cover or win outright each time. Louisville’s eighth ranked defense was exposed somewhat last week against the Seminoles, but don’t expect the same this week. Boston College should continue to roll in a low scoring affair over an emotionally drained Louisville. Pick: Boston College (+3) UNDER 45
